KARAKTERISTIK FISIKOKIMIA DAN SENSORI DARK CHOCOLATE 83% DARI BEBERAPA KOMBINASI ALAT ROASTING, MIXING, DAN TEMPERING

Efforts to improve chocolate quality became an important aspect in the development of the chocolate processing industry in Indonesia, thus further studies on various production methods to maintain chocolate quality were needed. This study aimed to analyze the differences in roasting, mixing, and tempering methods on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of 83% dark chocolate produced at PT Kakao Bhinneka Sejahtera. A simple Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used, with a treatment factor consisting of four different chocolate processing methods applied at PT Kakao Bhinneka Sejahtera, and each treatment was conducted in three experimental units. The results showed that differences in processing methods had a significant effect on phenol content (P1 = 18.01 mg GAE/g; P2 = 17.96 mg GAE/g; P3 = 11.08 mg GAE/g; and P4 = 11.16 mg GAE/g) and pH (P1 = 5.49; P2 = 5.51; P3 = 5.68; and P4 = 5.73), but no significant effect on fat content, total sugar content, texture (hardness and gumminess). The sensory analysis used the attribute rating method with parameters including cacao flavor, bitterness, astringency, roast degree, caramel/panela, sweetness, acidity, browned fruit, floral, spice, fresh fruit, and nutty. The results showed that all treatments produced relatively similar outcomes. All treatments exhibited a clear intensity in attributes such as acidity, astringency, and roast degree, and were dominated by cacao and bitterness flavor attributes.